Netflix's Jeffrey Dahmer miniseries 'Monster' becomes anthology with more killers; 'The Watcher' gets S2
After crime thriller miniseries Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story took Netflix by storm, the streaming giant is turning it into an anthology series with two more installments.
In a statement, Netflix said it wants to "tell the stories of other monstrous figures who have impacted society." It gave no further details about the subject, plot, or casting.
The 10-part Dahmer – Monster was co-written by Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story) and Ian Brennan (Glee). It revolves around the eponymous Jeffrey Dahmer, portrayed by Evan Peters, who notoriously raped, murdered, and dismembered 17 men and boys—while also eating some of them—between 1978 and 1991.
He committed his crimes in his very own residence on Apartment 213 at 924 North 25th Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's where he also kept his victims' bodies.
He was arrested in July 1991, and in the following year, was handed 16 life sentences for his crimes. On Nov. 28, 1994, Dahmer met his end after a fellow inmate beat him to death.
Netflix said Dahmer – Monster is its 9th most watched English language series of all time on the first week since it premiered on Sept. 21. The following week, it became the second most watched English language series of all time. To date, it has over 900 million hours of views.
Family members of Dahmer's real-life victims, however, have criticized the wildly popular series, saying it's "retraumatizing" them.
Netflix also announced that The Watcher, another title from Murphy and Brennan, is getting a second season.
"Audiences can't take their eyes off Monster and The Watcher," the company said in a statement, adding that Murphy and Brennan, as well as The Watcher executive producer Eric Newman are "masterful storytellers who captivated audiences all over the world."
"The back-to-back force of these two series is due to Ryan’s distinct original voice which created cultural sensations and we are thrilled to continue telling stories in the Monster and Watcher universes."
Based on the feature story "The Haunting of a Dream House" by Reeves Wiedeman of New York magazine's The Cut in November 2018, the seven-part The Watcher follows the family of Dean and Nora Brannock (Derek and Nora Broaddus in real life) moving into their new house on 657 Boulevard in the town of Westfield in New Jersey, United States.
As they settle into their new home, the Brannocks find themselves receiving a mysterious letter from a certain "The Watcher," asking them "How did you end up here?" and "Did 657 Boulevard call to you with its force within?"
The Watcher sends more letters that become increasingly menacing and personal, with the couple's children already involved.
A series of investigations—and revelations—in the neigborhood would ensue, and the Brannocks ultimately sell the house and find residence elsewhere.
The real-life Broadduses, though they were given some control over the story's direction, wanted little involvement as much as possible. In fact, they haven't seen the Netflix miniseries, as Derek said seeing the trailer was already "stressful enough."